Section Chief's Welcome

Welcome. Our section is composed of a diverse group of physicians who bring devotion and experience to the art of medicine. We thrive on continuous growth and strive to provide our patients up-to-date and innovative medical care. We are an academic department with profound interest in teaching and research.

In order to achieve excellence, our team believes in a multidisciplinary approach to healthcare delivery. To meet our goals, we coordinate care with all other specialties in the Department of Medicine, and also work closely with Thoracic Surgery, Radiology, Radiation Oncology and Otorhinolaryngology. Additionally, due to the impact of thoracic diseases in patients and their families, we also coordinate care with social workers and other allied health professionals. This allows us to provide more comprehensive and compassionate care.

Our critical care unit offers patients sophisticated care for the most complex pathology. Advanced mechanical ventilation is routinely implemented, with patients being closely observed with modern hemodynamic monitoring equipment. Our team of Critical Care Medicine boarded physicians has expertise in many bedside procedures, such as ultrasonography to allow rapid bedside diagnoses and safer procedure performance, tracheostomies, intubations, etc. Finally, a 24/7 physician availability allows not just excellent care, but also provides a superb environment for the teaching of our residents and fellows.

The Pulmonary/Critical Care Fellowship Program is an integral part of our section. Fellows are exposed to a broad variety of pulmonary and critical care disorders. They are provided experiences in research while learning the fundamentals of clinical and basic science. In addition, our fellows have the opportunity to get significant exposure to Sleep Medicine and Interventional Pulmonology.

Our overall mission is to utilize in a rational manner all available resources in order to promote healthcare improvement. To do this, we incorporate new medical developments to our daily practices and believe strongly in making our patients active participants in their healthcare. Hence, we have developed programs where patients learn more about their disease and how to better cope with it. One such example is our Asthma Program. In the end, we simply want to ensure the best possible outcome for all our patients.

On behalf of our faculty, I invite you to learn more about our program and physicians.

Edmundo R. Rubio, M.D., F.C.C.P.Section Chief

Medical News

FACILITIES

The Outpatient Pulmonary Clinic in Roanoke, Va. is a large and modern facility located next to our state-of-the-art Pulmonary Function Test Laboratory and our Radiology Department. This allows quick and convenient evaluations of our patients. Our technologically advanced Endoscopy Suite with full anesthesia back-up support allows us to perform complex Interventional and Diagnostic pulmonary procedures under the best and safest conditions.

Carilion's Sleep Centers offer convenient evaluations for Sleep Disorders in a friendly and highly professional environment. All our Sleep Centers are accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, with locations in Roanoke, Radford, West Lake and Lexington. Our Pulmonary Function Test Laboratory has two facilities in Roanoke, Va., and is accredited by the American Thoracic Society.

Our Pulmonary Clinic in Radford, Va. is also a modern facility attached to Carilion Clinic's New River Valley Hospital, offering convenient comprehensive care for our patients. These include pulmonary function testing, sleep medicine and bronchoscopy services.

ACADEMIC AFFILIATION

Carilion's faculty has a strong commitment to medical education under the auspices of VTC School of Medicine. We run the only ACGME accredited Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Fellowship in southwest Virginia. A dedicated Pulmonary Fellows' clinic provides services to a complex variety of patients under close supervision from our faculty, bringing patients a model of care that is highly academic, up to date, and innovative.